Imperial Biscotti Break | Evil Twin Brewing
Brewed by:
Evil Twin Brewing
New York, United States
eviltwin.dk
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.50%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
The Roman Empire had a certain "je ne sais quoi" - festive food culture, extravagant architecture, and spectacular live entertainment. Some might argue the Emperors were brutal, mad, and hungry for power, and the people vain when taking baths and working out all day. Listen - that's still all part of the secret Imperial ingredient - keep it cool, clean, confident, arrogant, and flamboyant. Forza Imperiale.
Added by BlackBelt5112203 on 04-12-2012
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 4,385 | Reviews: 663
4.24/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.69/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.25/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.75/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.11/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Batch #013 20:14
Poured into snifter. Looks opaque black, tan to brownish thin bubbly head that fades to a thin layer of suds and more around the rim.
Smell is very faint but I get roasty grain, light roast coffee beans, tiny hint of vanilla.
Taste is much more intense. Big wave of roasted grains followed by a medium-light intensity toasty, nutty almond flavor with a thin blanket of vanilla on the back. Bitter roastiness from the malts and a hint of coffee on the finish with light lingering almond and vanilla.
This beer is sooo smooth for a 11.5%er. This must have been aging at least a year or two because the coffee is nearly gone but the brew is so well rounded and smooth. Pretty thin and carbonated for an imperial stout of this caliber but it seems to work for this flavor profile.
795 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Batch #013 20:14
Poured into snifter. Looks opaque black, tan to brownish thin bubbly head that fades to a thin layer of suds and more around the rim.
Smell is very faint but I get roasty grain, light roast coffee beans, tiny hint of vanilla.
Taste is much more intense. Big wave of roasted grains followed by a medium-light intensity toasty, nutty almond flavor with a thin blanket of vanilla on the back. Bitter roastiness from the malts and a hint of coffee on the finish with light lingering almond and vanilla.
This beer is sooo smooth for a 11.5%er. This must have been aging at least a year or two because the coffee is nearly gone but the brew is so well rounded and smooth. Pretty thin and carbonated for an imperial stout of this caliber but it seems to work for this flavor profile.
795 characters
3.09/5 rDev -29%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
The flavors mentioned on the label are barely describable outside of the booziness of the poorly done 11.5%. The dark color and carmely-dark head look awesome, a faint waft of almonds and vanilla on the nose really got me ready for this. Then the hit of the Booze-Stout. And it didn't get better. I tried it cold, I tried it warm, I tried it here, i tried it there, I tried it in a box I tried it with a fox.
I did not like Booze-Stout, I did not like it Sam I am.
470 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
The flavors mentioned on the label are barely describable outside of the booziness of the poorly done 11.5%. The dark color and carmely-dark head look awesome, a faint waft of almonds and vanilla on the nose really got me ready for this. Then the hit of the Booze-Stout. And it didn't get better. I tried it cold, I tried it warm, I tried it here, i tried it there, I tried it in a box I tried it with a fox.
I did not like Booze-Stout, I did not like it Sam I am.
470 characters
5/5 rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Hard poured from a pint can. It pours a thick and heavy black. The initial head was a medium tan that most of disappeared fairly quick, however what remains laced the glass pretty decent. Smells and tastes follow each other, which is definitely big time coffee but there’s definitely notes of vanilla and nuts. Mid range carbonation which works well for this type of beer. Very good and very classic imperial stout taste, with a little vanilla and nuts for good measure.
472 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Hard poured from a pint can. It pours a thick and heavy black. The initial head was a medium tan that most of disappeared fairly quick, however what remains laced the glass pretty decent. Smells and tastes follow each other, which is definitely big time coffee but there’s definitely notes of vanilla and nuts. Mid range carbonation which works well for this type of beer. Very good and very classic imperial stout taste, with a little vanilla and nuts for good measure.
472 characters
3.94/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.84/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4/5 rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Nice and dark, coffee and vanilla notes. A good stout.
55 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Nice and dark, coffee and vanilla notes. A good stout.
55 characters
4.38/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.25/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is very smooth and balanced with the alcohol burn being nonexistent. Although I'm a big fan of aging beer I don't see any reason to not drink this fresh. Very tasty to sip. As it warms up you can taste the almonds.
222 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is very smooth and balanced with the alcohol burn being nonexistent. Although I'm a big fan of aging beer I don't see any reason to not drink this fresh. Very tasty to sip. As it warms up you can taste the almonds.
222 characters
4.14/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
After drinking my first pint of Even More Jesus my mind was thoroughly blown. It was one of those beers I still think about while lying awake in bed. So exited was I that on the Tavour site I hungrily snag every Evil Twin offering they provided. And then I returned to the place of my Even More Jesus purchase and snagged me one of these Imperial Biscotti Breaks. Oh, that now familiar Imperial black hole void. A bit more fragrant than my previous purchase. Just when I thought there would be no head to top the gravitous blackness, a half inch of ephemeral and umbrous foam, slightly reddish, emerged. So I drank it. Meh... A little anticlimactic, honestly. Certainly not terrible. Well, it was at grocery store refrigerator temperature. Let it warm a little. The iced coffee flavor starts to allow the almond and vanilla to poke through. Still a slightly off aftertaste. But still quite nice. I probably won't buy another. Even More Jesus is right next to it. Hard not to grab that.
989 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
After drinking my first pint of Even More Jesus my mind was thoroughly blown. It was one of those beers I still think about while lying awake in bed. So exited was I that on the Tavour site I hungrily snag every Evil Twin offering they provided. And then I returned to the place of my Even More Jesus purchase and snagged me one of these Imperial Biscotti Breaks. Oh, that now familiar Imperial black hole void. A bit more fragrant than my previous purchase. Just when I thought there would be no head to top the gravitous blackness, a half inch of ephemeral and umbrous foam, slightly reddish, emerged. So I drank it. Meh... A little anticlimactic, honestly. Certainly not terrible. Well, it was at grocery store refrigerator temperature. Let it warm a little. The iced coffee flavor starts to allow the almond and vanilla to poke through. Still a slightly off aftertaste. But still quite nice. I probably won't buy another. Even More Jesus is right next to it. Hard not to grab that.
989 characters
4.34/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.39/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
3.77/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
2/5 rDev -54%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
I had the canned version of this. NO DATE on the can but a strong imperial stout should hold up for a while. Stouts are one of my top 3 favorite year round available beer styles by the way. I like the Evil Twin can artwork as well. It is simple yet elegant. Since I am such a fan of stouts then you figure like something like Imperial Biscotti Break would be a no brainer A level category type of stout as long as the high level 11% abv is well hidden. Not this time folks I don't know if I got an infected batch or something but I found this stout to be almost undrinkable. The abv is well hidden so that's not an issue here. It taste really watered down and sort of soury tasting for a stout. Everybody on this page seems to love this beer so I guess I am the odd man out on this review. Oh well they all can't be winners. Cheers! D (65-69) score range
854 characters
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
I had the canned version of this. NO DATE on the can but a strong imperial stout should hold up for a while. Stouts are one of my top 3 favorite year round available beer styles by the way. I like the Evil Twin can artwork as well. It is simple yet elegant. Since I am such a fan of stouts then you figure like something like Imperial Biscotti Break would be a no brainer A level category type of stout as long as the high level 11% abv is well hidden. Not this time folks I don't know if I got an infected batch or something but I found this stout to be almost undrinkable. The abv is well hidden so that's not an issue here. It taste really watered down and sort of soury tasting for a stout. Everybody on this page seems to love this beer so I guess I am the odd man out on this review. Oh well they all can't be winners. Cheers! D (65-69) score range
854 characters
3.68/5 rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Who doesn't love New Beer Sunday? How CAN you not enjoy a CANportunity to really do some damage under the auspices of doing something New? Happy Even More Even More Evil Twin Sunday (Week 678) as I delve even deeper into this madness!
From the CAN: "Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee and with Almond and Vanilla added"; "Italy has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' - fab food culture, highly decadent history of art and cool countryside. Some might argue the people are loud and flamboyant, they steal our women, the soccer players melodramatically flop on the pitch. Listen - that's all part of the secret Italian ingredient - keep it cool, confident, arrogant, and extravagant. Forza Italia."
I wanted to Crack! this CAN open & CANduct an inverted Glug in retaliation for the CANsense of the last one, but that was not fitting. Instead, I went with a slow, gentle Glug. Unbidden, it still formed a finger of foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with modest retention. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was as sweet as the previous gem, loads of nuttiness & vanilla, but the coffee was taking a back seat. This brewery pi**ed me off with the last one, an overpriced p.o.s. & this was doing naught to repair the damage! Biscotti? Not on the nose! Coffee? Not on the nose! Added almond & vanilla? Fine. A check of the style descriptor lets you off of the hook, but I am NOT happy. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, less than what I would & CAN expect in the style. The taste was odd with an initial coffee bitterness, but tempered with a nuttiness that I could not readily identify along with a very identifiable vanilla sweetness. Biscotti? I am unsure. I love Biscotti from Enrico's in Pixburgh's Strip Disrick, but this was not evocative of any of their variegated products. I found myself wishing that they could have found a happier medium between the coffee and the almond flavors while leaving the vanilla in the beta stage. Almond infused coffee is bangin', yo, but this lacked that kind of CANpelling quality. Instead, it seemed kind of CANfused, wandering from coffee to nutty and finishing with a vague sweetness, perhaps of vanilla, but I would not swear to it. Finish was equally difficult to quantify - semi-sweet or semi-dry? Pick one, 'cause I CANnot. I was unimpressed.
2,320 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Who doesn't love New Beer Sunday? How CAN you not enjoy a CANportunity to really do some damage under the auspices of doing something New? Happy Even More Even More Evil Twin Sunday (Week 678) as I delve even deeper into this madness!
From the CAN: "Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee and with Almond and Vanilla added"; "Italy has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' - fab food culture, highly decadent history of art and cool countryside. Some might argue the people are loud and flamboyant, they steal our women, the soccer players melodramatically flop on the pitch. Listen - that's all part of the secret Italian ingredient - keep it cool, confident, arrogant, and extravagant. Forza Italia."
I wanted to Crack! this CAN open & CANduct an inverted Glug in retaliation for the CANsense of the last one, but that was not fitting. Instead, I went with a slow, gentle Glug. Unbidden, it still formed a finger of foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with modest retention. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was as sweet as the previous gem, loads of nuttiness & vanilla, but the coffee was taking a back seat. This brewery pi**ed me off with the last one, an overpriced p.o.s. & this was doing naught to repair the damage! Biscotti? Not on the nose! Coffee? Not on the nose! Added almond & vanilla? Fine. A check of the style descriptor lets you off of the hook, but I am NOT happy. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, less than what I would & CAN expect in the style. The taste was odd with an initial coffee bitterness, but tempered with a nuttiness that I could not readily identify along with a very identifiable vanilla sweetness. Biscotti? I am unsure. I love Biscotti from Enrico's in Pixburgh's Strip Disrick, but this was not evocative of any of their variegated products. I found myself wishing that they could have found a happier medium between the coffee and the almond flavors while leaving the vanilla in the beta stage. Almond infused coffee is bangin', yo, but this lacked that kind of CANpelling quality. Instead, it seemed kind of CANfused, wandering from coffee to nutty and finishing with a vague sweetness, perhaps of vanilla, but I would not swear to it. Finish was equally difficult to quantify - semi-sweet or semi-dry? Pick one, 'cause I CANnot. I was unimpressed.
2,320 characters
4.24/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Imperial Biscotti Break from Evil Twin Brewing
Beer rating:
4.35 out of
5 with
4,385 ratings
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